Modern structures, such as buildings and ships, generally comprise piping systems used in one or more applications. Examples of piping systems include but are not limited to cold and hot water supply lines, sanitary sewer lines, gas distribution lines, central vacuum system suction lines, and conduits for electrical and/or communication systems.
An installer generally constructs a piping system at the site of a structure using materials including sections of pipe and various pipe fittings. Pipe fittings are used to connect sections of pipe together. For example, when a pipe must make a ninety degree turn, a ninety-degree elbow fitting may used to connect two sections of pipe together at a ninety-degree angle. As another example, when a branch line is to be connected to a main line, a tee fitting may be used to connect a section of pipe constituting the branch line to two sections of pipe constituting the main line.
When an installer is installing a piping system in a structure, the installer will frequently draw an outline of the piping system on a surface of the structure before installing the piping system. The outline enables the installer to determine where pipes are to be installed, the correct lengths of sections of pipes, and where pipes should be fastened to the structure. The outline may be marked on the structure's surface with chalk or in another suitable manner. For example, if an installer is going to install a plumbing system above a building's ceiling, the installer will generally draw with chalk an outline of the plumbing system on the building's floor. Straight lines may be used to indicate the center of pipe sections, and circles may used to indicate connection points. The installer may be able to use the outline to determine where pipes are to be fastened above the ceiling and to determine the correct length of pipes.
An installer will typically construct a piping system outline in the following manner. First, the installer will mark key locations of the piping system on a surface of the structure, such as the floor of a building. By way of example and not of limitation, a key location may be a location where a drain line connects to a plumbing fixture. The installer may determine key locations by referring to physical features of the structure (e.g. a collar that provides an opening for a pipe), and/or the structure's design specification (e.g. a blueprint). The installer will next plot lines representing pipes from the key locations to connection points. If a connection point comprises a fitting, the installer will have to construct an outline of the fitting showing where pipes connect to the fitting. To construct an outline of the fitting, the installer will typically look up the fitting's dimensions in a manufacturer's catalog. The installer will then create the outline of the fitting by plotting the fitting's dimensions on the structure's surface using a tape measure or other measuring instrument. For example, if an installer were to create an outline of an elbow fitting on the floor of a building, the installer would first look up the length of each section of the appropriate elbow fitting in the fitting manufacturer's catalog. The installer would then plot the length of each section of the elbow on the building's floor using a tape measure or other measuring instrument.
Unfortunately, the process of creating a pipe fitting outline by looking up dimensions in a manufacturer's catalog and plotting out the appropriate measurements is time consuming and error prone. The installer is required to spend time searching for the appropriate fitting in the manufacturer's catalog and then noting the appropriate dimensions. The installer needs to take time to accurately create an outline of the fitting using a measuring instrument such as a tape measure. The installer may make errors by obtaining the wrong dimensions from the manufacturer's catalog and/or by incorrectly plotting the dimensions on the structure's surface.
A template is disclosed which may enable an installer to quickly and easily create a pipe fitting outline. The template allows an installer to create a pipe fitting outline on a structure's surface without having to refer to a manufacturer's catalog and without having to plot dimensions with a tape measure or other measuring instrument.